Why a cat eye suits a round face
A round face is as wide as it is long, with soft cheeks and a rounded jaw. Every styling rule for it is the same rule: add length and add angles. A cat eye does both in one shape. The upswept outer corner pulls the eye up and out, which reads as length; the corner itself is an angle on a face that has none; and the wider top of the frame sits across the cheekbones, which is where a round face is widest and where a line reads as structure. The glasses for a round face guide covers the full set of shapes that work; the cat eye is the one it keeps coming back to.
How much lift
The upsweep is the whole question. Three grades:
- A straight top line. The frame's top edge runs flat to a sharp outer corner. The strongest lift and the most angle, and the one that does the most for a round face. Reads as modern rather than retro.
- A defined brow. The classic cat eye: a visible brow line that rises to a point at the outer corner. Enough lift to lengthen, enough curve to stay soft. The safe choice.
- A soft lift. A rounded lens with a gentle rise at the corner. Pretty, but on a round face the curves repeat and the lift is too small to count. This is the version to avoid, or to buy only in a frame with a flat top edge elsewhere.
The rule of thumb: on a round face, the corner should be sharp enough to see from across a room.
Where the lift should sit
The outer corner should sit at or just above the outer end of the eyebrow. Lower than that and the frame cuts across the cheek, which widens the face; higher and it leaves a gap under the brow that looks like the frame is too small. On an optical frame the brow line of the frame and the real brow should run close together, so the frame does not draw a second eyebrow below the first.
Rim and width
- Rim. A round face takes a thicker rim than most, because the rim adds the structure the face lacks. A thin metal cat eye works when the lift is strong; a thin rim with a soft lift disappears.
- Width. The frame should be a touch wider than the face at the cheekbones, so the outer corners sit just past the widest point. Narrower than the face and the face looks rounder; much wider and the frame looks borrowed.
- Depth. Shallow lenses lengthen; deep lenses shorten. On a round face the cat eye should be shallow enough that the cheeks show below it.
- Colour. Dark and tortoise rims hold the angle; clear and pale rims soften it. For a round face, buy the darker version first.
Optical frames or sunglasses
The same shape works for both, with one difference. An optical cat eye is seen with the eyes behind it, so the lift has to work with the brows and can afford to be a shade softer; a sunglass hides the eyes and the shape carries the whole look, so the sunglass can be bolder, straighter and larger. The cat eye glasses guide covers the optical shape in depth and the cat eye sunglasses guide the sun version; for a round face, buy the optical frame with a defined brow and the sunglass with a straight top line.
The one cat eye to avoid
The oversized round cat eye with a soft lift. It is on every trend list, and on a round face it is two circles with a small flick at the corner, which is the one thing the face does not need. If the oversized look is the point, the oversized cat eye with a straight top line does the same job and keeps the angle.
Fit
Lift is wasted on a frame that slides. The checks are the same as for any pair: width to the cheekbones, eyes near the centre of each lens, the lower edge off the cheeks when you smile, and the frame level when you look down. A round face often sits with a lower nose bridge, and a frame cut for one sits level where a standard frame drops onto the cheeks and flattens the lift. Many of our frames are cut that way, listed in the low bridge fit sunglasses and low bridge fit eyeglasses collections.
MUJOSH cat eye glasses for a round face, ranked by lift
Nine cat eyes from the cat eye sunglasses collection and the eyeglasses collection, ranked by the lift as read from the frame shape: straight top lines and defined brows first, soft lifts last.
Strongest lift, the first choices for a round face:
- Trendy Diamond, $99: a diamond-cut cat eye optical frame in acetate with a low bridge fit, two colourways. The cat eye drawn with straight lines; the corner is a corner.
- Jasmin Straight, $89: an oversized acetate cat eye with a straight top line, polarized, low bridge fit, two colourways. The oversized cat eye that keeps its angle, and the sunglass to buy first.
- Ban Habit, $79: a cat eye with a defined brow line in dark red acetate, polarized, low bridge fit. The classic brow, in the colour that holds the angle.
- Lady Lang, $119: a screwless cat eye in metal with a hinge-free front, polarized, adjustable nose pads, low bridge fit, two colourways. The thin rim with a strong enough lift to carry it.
- Techon, $89: a compact cat eye in ultra-light TR90 with a sharp upswept corner on a narrow frame, polarized, three colourways. The small cat eye with a big corner, for a smaller round face.
Classic lift, still a good choice:
- Jasmin, $79: an oversized cat eye in Italian acetate, polarized, low bridge fit, two colourways. More curve than its straight sister; buy it in the darker colourway.
- Retro Cat Eye, $99: a retro acetate cat eye, low bridge fit, two colourways. The vintage brow.
- Vintage Cat-Eye, $79: a classic acetate cat eye with metal rivets and slim temples, two colourways. The 50s shape, with the corner where it should be.
Soft lift, for an oval or heart shaped face rather than a round one:
- LYF Cat Eye, $99, and Talk Nice, $79: both rounded along the bottom with a gentle lift at the corner. Lovely frames, and the two here a round face should pass over for one of the first five.
The bottom line
A cat eye suits a round face because it adds the length and the angle the face lacks, but only when the lift is sharp and sits at the outer end of the brow. Choose a straight top line or a defined brow, a rim with some weight, a frame a touch wider than the cheekbones and shallow enough to show the cheeks, in a dark or tortoise colour first. Avoid the oversized round cat eye with a soft flick. In the MUJOSH range Trendy Diamond is the optical frame to start with, Jasmin Straight the sunglass, with Ban Habit, Lady Lang and Techon close behind.
Frequently asked questions
Do cat eye glasses suit a round face?
Yes, better than most shapes, because the upswept corner adds length and an angle to a face that has neither. The lift has to be sharp; a soft, rounded cat eye repeats the curves and does little.
How much upsweep should cat eye glasses have for a round face?
Enough that the outer corner is visibly a corner, sitting at or just above the outer end of the eyebrow. A straight top line gives the most lift, a defined brow the classic amount, a soft lift too little.
Should a round face wear thick or thin cat eye frames?
Thicker than most faces, because the rim adds structure. A thin metal cat eye works only when the lift is strong; a thin rim with a soft lift disappears on a round face.
Which MUJOSH cat eye glasses are best for a round face?
Trendy Diamond as the optical frame, and Jasmin Straight, Ban Habit, Lady Lang and Techon for the sun, all with a straight top line or a defined brow. Jasmin, Retro Cat Eye and Vintage Cat-Eye carry the classic lift; LYF and Talk Nice are the soft lifts to pass over.
